A night to remember
by Alice Shade
Summary: Gadget returns home to find Dale, alone. And to see the side he does not let out often.


I do not own Gadget, Dale or any other Rescue Rangers. I only use them for entertainment purposes. No profit was made from this text.  
  
A night to remember...  
  
Gadget woke up and felt herself disoriented. She was not in her room. Rather, she was in the living room. She wondered, what is she doing here, but not for long. A slight headache forced her to wince. She finally looked around, squinting against the sun. It was unlike her to sleep in, but today, she slept nearly till midday. And that headache...  
  
A slight snore to the right forced her to turn her head and look. The origin of snore was Dale, lying beside her on the sofa. Under the same blanket. What?! Gadget stared on Dale, pale from sudden thought. She was afraid she has done something really stupid with him. While she stared, the memories of the evening before came to her jogging...  
  
...Gadget entered the headquarters and closed the door behind herself. She expected headquarters to be empty. Monty and Zipper were out of the town, visiting Camambert Kate and Cheddarhead Charlie on Niagara falls, and Chip mentioned a trip to his parents with a sleepover. She came to the kitchen, wishing for a sandvich and a cola, and was stopped before the door by the sound from inside it. Now when she looked, she noticed a glimpse of light coming from it.  
  
She wondered, who might be there, and opened the door. Much to her surprise, she saw there Dale, conjuring something in the pot on the stove. Gadget came closer. Without turning, Dale said - "Good evening, Gadget. I was expecting you. Have a seat, I`ll finish this in a minute." Flabbergasted, Gadget sat down. Dale stirred something in the pot, then put a lid on it and sat down on the opposite side of the table.  
  
"How was your day, Gadget?" - he asked. Gadget shrugged - "The usual, I guess. I just came back from junkyard." Dale smirked - "So, you must be hungry? Supper will be ready in a jiffy." Gadget looked uneasily on the pot and asked - "Uh, Dale, what is it?" Dale glanced on pot and said - "Vegetable and chicken stew." Gadget winced. She remembered Dale`s previous attempts to cook well enough. Dale smirked again, got up, took off the lid and started stirring stew again. Then he scooped a spoon of stew and tried it. "Hmmm... Need come cumin. And nutmeg." He added someting to pot. Gadget got up and came closer, keeping her distance through, as she was aware, that Dale`s masterpieces exploded sometimes. "Are you sure it`s all right?" - she asked. Dale scooped another spoon and offered her - "Try yourself." Gadget closed her eyes, and with all the determination of sentenced to death person put the spoon in her mouth. She stayed like this two seconds, then her eyes lit up.  
  
"Golly! That`s... That`s terrific!" - she exclaimed, after swallowing it. Dale smiled and put the lid on the pot. "It`ll be ready in few minutes. Do you want some salad in the meantime?" Gadget nodded. When Dale opened a refrigerator and extracted a bowl of salad, her surprise reached a new level. Dale scooped a generous portion of salad on the dish, and handed it to Gadget. Then he put some salad for himself.  
  
Gadget cautiously tried a bit of salad. In a second after that, she find herself wolfing the salad down. And asking for more. However, she continued her conversation with Dale even during eating. "Dale, why are you here? I thought, you would go with Chip."- she asked. Dale shrugged - "I don`t get along with his folks well. Besides, someone had to stay and cook you supper." Gadget thought about that and asked - "What`s the trouble with Chip`s folks?" "I don`t really have anything to talk with them about. And Chip would want some time with them alone, without interruption. And they always try to get me be more responcible, just like my folks." - Dale replied.  
  
Gadget chewed her salad for some time, then asked - "Is it a bad thing - to be more responcible?" Dale winced - "Don`t go there, Gadget. Not yet." Gadget found this remark funny, but decided to let it go. Instead, she complimented Dale - "That salad was great." Dale smiled - "Thanks. By the way, are you ready for stew?" Gadget nodded and Dale brought two deep dishes, then put a good amount of stew in each.  
  
They began eating. Gadget find the stew very tasty. It had it`s hot pieces, and was refreshingly different from Monty`s cheeze. While eating, they had a small talk. Gadget`s surprise level gone up a notch - Dale actually made an understandable conversation today. Soon, stew was finished.  
  
Gadget pushed the empty dish from her and leaned back. "Whew, that was good." Dale stood up and peeked in the oven. He took a bottle in his hands and started to spray something inside the oven. Gadget asked - "What are you doing, Dale?" "Putting some wine on it." - he told, shutting the oven. "On what?" -wondered Gadget. "Oh, I don`t know it`s name on English. Uncle Givi, who taught me how to cook it, called it shashlik." - Dale explained.  
  
- Uncle Givi?  
  
- He`s not my real uncle, he just asked to call him so. Uncle Givi is from Georgia.  
  
Gadget nodded. And then Dale opened oven, and extracted several sticks with bits of meat and vegetables on them. The smell was overwhelmingly pleasant. He passed one stick to Gadget, took one for himself, and put the rest on the dish in the center of the table. Gadget eagerly begin consuming new food. Dale, before beginning to eat, got two glasses and poured them full of dark red fluid. Then he passed one glass to Gadget. She looked on it curiously, and asked - "What is it, Dale?" "Wine." - he courtly replied. Gadget raised one brow. "Dale, I do not approve alcogol." - she said with a frown. Dale looked sheepish. "It`s a dinner wine. You`ll need to drink much more then one glass to get tipsy." - he said.  
  
Gadget paused and sniffed the wine. It smelt uneasily satisfying. "I don`t know. It feels wrong, somehow." Dale raised his brow in turn - "Excuse moi? We are eating heavy food here. Your digestive system could use a little help. Besides, in small amounts, wine is beneficial." Gadget signed and sipped from her glass. Taste was really good. She signed again. "One glass only." - she said grimly, and begin eating shashlik again. When the stick was clean, she reached for another.  
  
By ten o`clock, they cleaned out the table. Gadget did not carried her decision, and had two full glasses of wine. Now, they were sitting and talking. Dale got a small tray of roasted acorns from the oven, and set it on the table. Gadget got one and popped it in her mouth. Then she popped another one. Dale was checking something on the table, and he did not saw, what she did. When he finally turned around, Gadget was eating fifth. Dale said hesitatingly - "That`s not such a good idea, Gadget. You might get high on those acorns." Mouth full, Gadget asked - "Whaf do you meam?" Dale replied - "You see, I marinaded them in hemp flowers sauce." Gadget swallowed and asked - "So, you mean, that your acorns are laced with marijuana?" Dale tugged on his collar, and said - "Uh-huh." Gadget shrugged - "Then I must do one and only thing." Dale asked - "What exactly?" "Have another." - replied Gadget, popping one more in her mouth.  
  
Relaxed, Dale sat down and helped Gadget to finish the acorns. Gadget felt herself funny. She knew, that what she was doing was morally wrong, but she didn`t care. She never felt better in her life. Dale, meanwhile, cleaned up the kitchen. She even helped him some. This finished, they went to the living room, and sat on the sofa. Dale got the ashtray, and placed it before him on the table. Gadget wondered, why did he need ashtray. In a second she knew her answer. Dale put a cigarette in his mouth and lit it up. Sweet smoke filled the room. Gadget sniffed once, and twice. She asked - ""Dale, is this marijuana, too?" Dale lazily nodded. She looked on Dale, and asked - "Can I have one?" Dale shrugged, gave her cigarette and held the lighter for her. Gadget lit it up, and had a first drag.  
  
They were sitting on the sofa, and talking. Seemed, that both are unaffected, but they were talking about the things, they wouldn`t normally. Gadget asked - "Dale, why are you doing narcotics?" Dale shrugged - "It`s my lifestyle. I`m forever high on."  
  
- Come on.  
  
- It`s true. I`m high on LSD almost all the time.  
  
- On LSD?  
  
- Uh-huh. If only you knew, what a resistance I built...  
  
- But why?  
  
- I don`t really know. I have nothing to break me apart from my fantasies.  
  
- But you can do so much better.  
  
- What for? I`m managing with what I`ve got already.  
  
- But you can do better.  
  
- Maybe. But being all responcible would take away the fun.  
  
- But you`ll stop screwing up.  
  
- True.  
  
- Why don`t you try?  
  
There was no reply from Dale. Gadget wanted to pursue the matter further, but her thoughts deviated. Instead, she said - "You know, Dale, you can actually cook very well." Dale smirked - "Only when I`m sober and not on high."  
  
- I liked it. Maybe where is something you can do fine, when you`re not on high, except cooking?  
  
- Maybe.  
  
- Tell me, how came you can do that so well? Who taught you?  
  
- Oh, that`s quite a story. It all started in school. I was working part-time in uncle Givi`s wine shop...  
  
- You worked underage?  
  
- Nope.  
  
- I don`t get it? Chip said, he left the school too early to have real work...  
  
- I`m older then Chip. Two years older.  
  
- Really? Then how come you finished school together?  
  
- Chip was smart kid. He jumped up two classes.  
  
- Oh.  
  
- So, I worked in uncle Givi`s shop. And he taught me, how to cook, and how to choose a good wine.  
  
- Did you started doing narcotics then?  
  
- A few months before I met Chip. I just got transferred into new school, noone knew me, so they were thinking, that this is my normal disposition, not stoned out of skull mode.  
  
- But why?  
  
- I guess, it was an accident. You see, I was majoring in chemistry. And one day, I syntetised LSD on a bet. Its fumes put me on high first time. I liked it so much, I started putting myself on high every day. A few days after, I was transferred to the new school... And you know the rest.  
  
- Dale, why don`t you quit?  
  
- Nope. Only for something equally great.  
  
- Would you quit it for me?  
  
- Huh?  
  
Gadget wrapped her arms around Dale`s neck and pulled him down to kiss. A few seconds later, they pulled away, and Dale signed. "Wow."- he said. "So? Will you do it for me?" - asked Gadget. "It`s tempting..." -he replied, - "Very tempting." And Gadget pulled him for another kiss....  
  
Gadget involuntary smiled. Dale - cute, but seriously misleaded. But her smile disappeared soon. "Please, let it be not what I think..." - she whispered. And shook Dale. With a small grunt, he opened his eyes and stared on Gadget. "Yeah?" - he asked, strangely aware. Gadget asked him in a whisper - "Dale, do you remember, what happened between us?" "Well, we made out for some time, then we fell asleep." - he replied. "Are you sure?" - she whispered fiercely.  
  
- Yeah, you`re still a virgin, if that`s what you ask about. And don`t whisper, there`s noone in the house besides us.  
  
- Why are you so sure?  
  
- Well, Chip will be here only in afternoon, and Monty and Zipper even not today.  
  
- NO, the other thing? Have you...  
  
- NO! I haven`t checked, if you`re still a virgin. I just assumed, you was a virgin yesterday.  
  
Gadget let out a huge sign. Then she hugged Dale - "Thank you." He looked on her sheepishly - "What for?" "For your gentlemanry. For not using advantage on me." - she said. Dale patted her back - "Any time, Gadget."  
  
They got up and eliminated all the evidence of the previous night together. While doing it, Gadget asked - "Dale, will you quit drugs?"  
  
- What drugs?  
  
- You told me everything yesterday.  
  
- Damn.  
  
- Please, Dale... For me?  
  
- I don`t know. I can lower the dosage if you want.  
  
- I hope you`ll be able to quit it. I like you , when you`re not on high.  
  
- Really? I`ll see, what I can do...  
  
Gadget kissed him slightly and said - "You can do that, Dale." He grinned sheepishly and said - "I`ll better take off the trash." With that, he walked out of the door. Gadget looked after him, and thought - "If he will quit the drugs, he`ll make a good husband..." 


End file.
